For Immediate Release
July 9, 2015
Contact: Lisa Geduldig – lisag@igc.org
(415) 431-7363 - Please don’t publish
3Girls Theatre Company Presents…
The 4th Annual New Works Festival
3GT Honors Risky Women: Having Fun and Wreaking Havoc!
Monday, August 3 to Sunday, August 9, 2015
Thick House, 1695 18th St., San Francisco
FREE!
But tickets are recommended: www.tinyurl.com/3GirlsTickets
San Francisco, CA… 3Girls Theatre Company (3GT) Presents The 4th Annual
New Works Festival representing the best of 3GT's work in developing,
producing and promoting original work by women playwrights throughout the
year. Each year 3GT chooses a theme for the festival to focus its work and help
the community rally around important issues. This year's theme is 3GT
Celebrates Risky Women: Having Fun and Wreaking Havoc! The week-long
festival calls attention to the need for women who break rules and defy the
norm—values embodied by its resident playwrights, company members, and
this year's featured community and artistic collaborators. Only 12-18% of new
plays produced annually by the American mainstream theater establishment are
written by women (roughly the same today as it was a century ago).
This year, the festival will re-stage the finalists from 3GT’s Salon Reading Series
(AJ Baker’s comedy, Entanglement, and Margery Kreitman’s solo piece, Kicking
Facebook), present a series of readings by collaborators based on the festival
theme, and produce performances of LezWrites!,GirlTalk, and ReproRights!
Women @ Risk, an evening of short works in response to the dire need to
address attacks on women’s bodies and reproductive rights in the U.S.
About 3Girls Theatre Company: 3GT’s mission is to develop, produce and
promote new plays written by San Francisco Bay Area women playwrights. In
2011, San Francisco playwrights Suze Allen, AJ Baker, and Lee Brady decided it
was time to stop complaining about the lack of opportunities for women
playwrights in American theater and take action. They set about recruiting a
company of amazing women who shared their vision to “put women’s work on
stage where it belongs.” Today, 3GT’s resident playwrights collaborate with one
another and the larger community to create and support extraordinary new work
by women playwrights through three core programs: the annual New Works
Festival, the intimate Salon Reading Series, and full productions of new plays.
3GT also sponsors outreach programs that develop new playwrights, empower
girls, and nurture LBT playwrights and performers.
~ See following pages for festival presentations and schedule ~
STAGED READINGS OF 3GT SALON SERIES FINALISTS:
Entanglement by AJ Baker
(Monday, August 3 @ 7:30pm; Saturday, August 8 @ 2:30pm)
The Salon Reading Series is 3GT’s core new play development program. Held
each year from January to June, its resident playwrights put up new work in a
friendly competition before audiences of 3GT Club members and friends. At the
end of the series, an independent selection committee chooses two plays to go on
to the next step: a deeper level of development at the New Works Festival. There
will be staged readings of the Salon Series Finalists on separate nights or as a
double feature on Saturday afternoon (followed by a champagne reception
celebrating all of the festival participants).
In her new comedy Entanglement, AJ Baker brings us a play about a play about
the quantum mechanics of love. It has been twenty years since actors Emma and
Luke were a couple, but they’re still connected by a net of loose ends and secrets.
When Emma writes a thinly veiled roman-a-clef of a play and asks Luke to direct
her in it, the struggle over who controls the story of their break-up –and its farranging results – becomes just as important as the script itself. Aided and
abetted by Luke’s daughter and Emma’s husband, the former lovers turn
Emma’s play into a backdrop for grappling with how their long-ago choices
entangle them in each other’s lives forever. The playwright says she was inspired
by a subject she keeps coming back to in both her work and life: how do we deal
with the consequences – however unintended – that our actions have on other
people? In this play, Baker mixes a little bit of behind-the-scenes stage craft with
a little bit of science to explore a variation on this theme. Director: Louis Parnell.
More information: www.3girlstheatre.org/entanglement-by-aj-baker-2
AJ BAKER has had a varied career in the arts as a writer, producer and visual
artist, but in recent years she has focused her creative energy on playwriting and
theatrical production. Her full-length plays include: Glickman’s Third Act (semifinalist, 2011 Bay Area Playwrights Festival; staged readings, Brava! for Women
in the Arts (2011), PCSF (2010, 2011), Meadowsweet Dairy (2010)); The Right Thing
(World Premiere 2012, Thick House); The Anniversary Effect (semi-finalist, 2015
Bay Area Playwrights’ Festival; finalist, 2014 3GT New Works Festival; finalist,
Capital Repertory’s 2014 NEXT ACT! New Play Summit (Albany, NY). As
Producing Artistic Director of 3Girls Theatre, Baker has served as Executive
Producer for four New Works Festivals, overseeing the production of plays at all
stages in the development process since 2012. She’s a proud member of
Dramatists’ Guild, an ongoing participant in the Will Dunne Dramatic Writing
Workshops and a past member of the Board of Directors of PlayGround. From
2007-2008, she produced and directed the popular monthly nightclub event, Talk
Show Live: San Francisco. When she’s not writing, Baker practices law, plays with
her cats, and eavesdrops for material in the cafes of North Beach.
Kicking Facebook by Margery Kreitman
(Tuesday, August 4 @ 7:30pm; Saturday, August 8 @ 1pm)
Kicking Facebook is a new solo work by Margery Kreitman. After a traumatic
breakup with her long time partner and lover, she turns to the internet for
distraction from all the questions that haunt her. Distraction rapidly becomes
addiction as she searches for dates and potential mates online, and finds herself
wrapped in an ever-growing web of internet loops, jargon, and videos.
Distracted from the world, she succumbs to apps and services that promise to
solve all her intimacy problems. Bouncing from one solution to the next, she’s
catapulted back to the comforts of her home, her computer, and her Facebook.
Until one day… Kreitman describes her relationship with the internet as
love/hate and says that one of the reasons she wrote the piece was to understand
and communicate from her own experience what it has been like to maneuver in
this “oh so-crazy and wonderful digital world.” Dramaturg: Jayne Wenger.
www.3girlstheatre.org/kicking-facebook-by-margery-kreitman-2015-salonseries-finalist/
MARGERY KREITMAN is the author of Please Wait For The Beep (Cable Car
Award nominee), produced in San Francisco, LA, and New York City, Picture Me
(Jane Chambers’ Playwriting Award), produced by Theater Rhino. She also
wrote the comedy, Sax and the Single Dyke, co-produced by Sarah Heartburn
Productions and Theater Rhino. Margery’s solo works include Home Plates (Dean
Goodman Choice Awards), Thirty Years Later, Phenomenal Dread of Intimacy, and
Mug Shots. She has performed her pieces at various Bay Area venues including
The Marsh, The New Conservatory Theater, Noh Space, The Magic Theater, and
Theater Rhino. Margery has taught acting, improvisation and playwriting and
was a faculty member at ACT’S Young Conservatory, The Academy of Art
University, and many Bay Area public and private schools. She also taught
acting for seniors at the San Bruno Senor Center and with them created a short
screenplay about alcohol abuse and the elderly. It was made into a film starring
members of the acting class and aired on cable TV. She was also the creator and
director of Positive Spirit and Visible Proof, two writing and performance groups
for HIV positive young adults and is currently the curator of 3GT’s LezWrites! –
Bay Area lesbian writers’ short, funny, personal narratives about LBT life.
Loud and UnladyLike Presents The Effects of Ultraviolet Light
(Wednesday, August 5th @ 7:30pm)
Loud and Unladylike supports the creation of new plays about real women
throughout history, presenting rich and interesting female characters who are
examples of the varied and interesting human condition. These are women who
have transcended the stereotype of what it means to be a “lady.” They are real
people, women who have left their mark on history, through their contributions
to the arts, sciences, politics, war, civil rights, and beyond. Their stories are not
intended as museum pieces or propaganda but as explorations of heartbreak and
celebration, determination and failure, redemption and sacrifice. They were not
perfect but were human beings with flaws, struggles, and strengths that deserve
to be better known, and stories that deserve to be heard. It is the hope that by
making room for these stories and bringing to the stage the lives of women who
are often overlooked by history, the cultural landscape will in time become more
equitable, and women’s history will eventually become everyone’s history.
The Effects of Ultraviolet Light was inspired by events in the life of Roger
Arliner Young and spans ten years. A brilliant and ambitious scientist strives to
make a name for herself while working with the most prestigious minds in her
field. Along the way she must fight against racial prejudice, sexism, jealousy, and
a volatile relationship with her mentor. Just as success is within her reach she
looses her grip on her colleagues, her vision, and ultimately reality. The play is a
study in ambition and the cost of being the first through the door.
CLAIRE RICE is a playwright and director. She has worked with Thunderbird
Theatre Company, No Nude Men, Three Wise Monkeys, PianoFight,
AtmosTheatre, Wiley West Productions, San Francisco Theatre Pub, San
Francisco Olympians Theatre Festival, Custom Made Theatre Company,
DIVAfest and was a co-founder of Ann Marie Productions. She recently directed
Hilarity by Allison Page for DIVAfest. Her written work includes Sex in the Next
Room, Woman Come Down, The Carmine Lie, It Ain’t Me, Waterline, Demeter’s
Daughter, Pride And Succubus, and Ares and Eris. www.claireannrice.blogspot.com
ReproRights! Women @ Risk
(Thursday, August 6 @ 7:30pm)
Repro Rights Theater began in 2012 when a group of writers, producers,
directors, and theater artists responded to the dire need to address attacks on
women’s bodily autonomy and reproductive rights in the US. Using performance
as the medium to explore these issues not only seemed appropriate, but natural.
This will be an evening of short works in response to the dire need to address
attacks on women’s bodies and reproductive rights in the US. The program
honors the risk-takers of NARAL Pro-Choice California, who have protected
women’s reproductive rights for nearly 40 years. This important women’s rights
issue will be explored using the provocative and entertaining medium of theater.
Program:
Oh Good Lord by Megan Cohen
The Virgin Mary is stricken and shocked by her pregnancy test result.
Boom, Splat by the all-women comedy troupe, Chardonnay
A reproductive rights rap.
Controlled Substances by Margy Kahn
In the whittling away of Roe v. Wade rights, choices narrow. Can you get your
own PO box and safely empty it in private?
Clinic of Oz by Elizabeth Flanagan
Follow the journey of a young orphan from rural Kansas as she searches for any
place but home.
It Farcely Seems Possible by Jennifer Roberts
A farce about how easy it is for women to make decisions about their bodies and
health.
A Baker's Dozen by Bridgette Dutta Portman
Grace and Joseph Baker don't believe in birth control or sex education - and they
have thirteen children to show for it.
The Bible and Grace by Lee Brady
Grace is a freshman at the Bethany Nazarene College who finds herself pregnant
and unwed—and terrified.
Midnight at La Catrina by Madeline Puccioni
In November 1970, Meg and her boyfriend, Francis, go to Tijuana to get an illegal
abortion. Will their relationship -- and Meg -- survive the trip?
A Womb of One's Own by Jeremy Cole
In this brief comic lecture, Virginia Woolf returns from the grave to share her
opinions on reproduction rights and the absolute necessity for bodily autonomy.
Best of Lezwrites!
(Friday, August 7 @ 7:30pm)
In 2013, 3Girls Theatre inaugurated its LezWrites! performance project, and it has
been a success since its debut. LezWrites! is an ongoing community outreach
program devoted to encouraging and presenting readings of short works by Bay
Area lesbian/bi/trans playwrights and writer-performers. The pieces: short and
humorous, often personal flash memoir, monologues, scenes or slam poetry, on a
variety of themes, enable lesbian writers to develop their work, and become
visible as vital and enriching voices in the larger theater environment. Their most
recent series produced such a terrific crop of stories that curator, Margery
Kreitman, decided to cull the best and present them at this year’s festival. She is
mixing them up with a few new pieces for a fun, funny, and moving evening.
MARGERY KREITMAN (Curator). See her bio under Kicking Facebook, page 3.
SPIRALEENA MASON (Executive Producer) has been theatrically engaged ever
since she scored the role of the little mermaid in a Girl Scout play at age 9. In
addition to running the behind-the-scenes show as 3GT’s Director of
Administration, she can be found doing costume design, stage make-up design,
and production management for independent theater and dance companies in
the Bay Area. She has been Production Manager for all of 3GT annual festivals.
Women Playwrights Meet & Greet
(Saturday, August 8 @ 1–6pm)
For the first time in five years, 3GT is seeking to add new resident playwrights to
the company. If you’re an experienced, produced Bay Area woman playwright
who wants to be part of the 3GT mission to “put women’s work on stage where it
belongs,” you’re invited to come throw your hat in the ring. All ages and
ethnicities enthusiastically encouraged. Sign up online for the Meet & Greet.
•1pm: Kicking Facebook by Margery Kreitman
•2:30pm: Entanglement by AJ Baker
•4pm: Talk Back: Join resident playwrights for a no-holds barred discussion of
The Risks of Bringing New Work by Women to the Stage
•4:30-6pm: Champagne Reception
Girl Talk Teen Monologues
(Sunday, August 9 @ 12pm and 2pm)
Girl Talk, a new play based on Dr. Carol Langlois’ book Girl Talk: Boys,
Bullies and Body Image and adapted for the stage by Suze Allen is about
eight teenage girls from ages 14 to 18 who come together to talk about
their everyday issues. The result is a raw and honest discussion about
what young women face today as they navigate the difficult terrain of
their lives. These shared stories, based on real life girls in the Bay Area,
connect the girls and are cathartic for all involved.
3Girls Theatre invites teenagers (both girls and boys), their parents,
educators, and anyone interested in the modern teen experience to join.
Women guest speakers. Snacks provided.
DR. CAROL LANGLOIS (Writer) is a former university Dean and
Associate Provost, trained therapist, researcher, educational consultant,
and writer. During her training, she counseled hundreds of clients in oneon-one sessions as well as in group settings, mostly working with college
freshman dealing with transitional and developmental issues on campus.
Her primary research focus is female self-esteem development among
teens. Her dissertation “The effects of single gender versus coeducational
environments on the self-esteem development and academic competence
of high school females” focused on 15 year old girls in the Bay Area where
her research findings showed disturbingly low levels of self-esteem across
the board. This staggering discovery led her to further research this topic
and write a book.
SUZE ALLEN (Director, Adapter) is a founding member and resident
playwright of 3GT as well as a published author, playwright, teacher,
dramaturg, and director with credits on both coasts. She directs the 3GT
Theatre LabWorkshops for adults as well as the Girl Talk program of
3GT's GirlWrights project and has been playwright-in-residence at Balboa
High School in San Francisco. She was the creator of Fresh New Works
San Francisco, The Maine Playwrights’ Lab and Short Works Festival,
Artistic Director for the SF Writers and Actors Lab, Director for Fertile
Ground Writing Studio and the resident Dramaturge and playwriting
instructor at The Playwrights’ Center of San Francisco. Her work and the
work she has directed have played the Dramatists Guild’s SF Footlights,
Tides Theatre, Brava Theater, 450 Geary, The Marsh, Intersection for the
Arts, Noh Space, The Phoenix, OutNorth Contemporary Art House in
Anchorage Alaska and The SF and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals. In 2012 she
was appointed as SF’s representative to the Dramatists’ Guild of America.
3GT Annual Lobby Art Exhibit
Risky Women: Wreaking Havoc!
(Open during the festival beginning 30 minutes before each performance.
Meet the artists at the Champagne Reception: Saturday, August 8 from 4:30-6pm)
Each year, 3GT invites outstanding female visual artists to collaborate by
curating an exhibit based on the festival theme. This year’s guest curator is
artist Denise Doyle, and participating artists include Chantelle
Goldthwaite, Adrienne Bolsega (aka Opal Essence), and Beth Benson.
Risky Women: Wreaking Havoc!
A sassy, sexy, risky show of female artists who push the boundaries of
being.
Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a
pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of
smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow!
What a Ride! — Hunter S. Thompson
So many women are taught to play it safe, look and act a certain way, to
maintain control, to strive to be something resembling “normal.” Life as a
woman on this planet really isn’t that one-dimensional, now is it? And
maybe for some, it never was. One of the definitions of Havoc is to
destroy or devastate. Four female artists take a look at the inner and outer
worlds of femininity, sexuality, spirituality, and create work that is, in
some way, risky. Women are walking the edge, acting impulsively or
spontaneously, and sometimes flying entirely out of control. These four
artists are wreaking havoc with their preconceived notions of normal,
confiding in their desires, inspiring confessions and creative outbursts,
and showing what it looks like to take risks and push the boundaries.
~ Calendar Editors: See next page ~
For Calendar Editors
WHAT:
3Girls Theatre Company Presents…
The 4th Annual New Works Festival
3GT Honors Risky Women: Having Fun and Wreaking Havoc!
WHEN:
Monday, August 3 to Sunday, August 9, 2015
August 3 @ 7:30pm: Entanglement by AJ Baker
August 4 @ 7:30pm: Kicking Facebook by Margery Kreitman
August 5 @ 7:30pm: The Effects of Ultraviolet Light
August 6 @ 7:30pm: ReproRights! Women @ Risk
August 7 @ 7:30pm: Best of Lezwrites!
August 8 @ 1–6pm: Women Playwrights Meet & Greet
1pm: Kicking Facebook by Margery Kreitman
2:30pm: Entanglement by AJ Baker
4pm: Talk Back
4:30-6pm: Champagne Reception
August 9 @ 12pm & 2pm: Girl Talk Teen Monologues
*Beginning 30 minutes before each performance:
Lobby Art Exhibit. Risky Women: Wreaking Havoc!
WHERE:
Thick House
1695 18th St. (between Arkansas and DeHaro)
San Francisco
TICKETS:
FREE
But reserving tickets is recommended:
www.tinyurl.com/3GirlsTickets
INFO:
www.3girlstheatre.org
PRESS:
For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact Lisa
Geduldig at (415) 431-7363 or cell: (415) 205-6515 or lisag@igc.org